


The Old College Try

by mcschnuggles



Series: The Regression Zone [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Caregiver!Taako, Fluff, Gen, Non-Sexual Age Play, Regressing!Magnus, Regressing!Taako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21527623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles
Summary: After taking care of Taako a couple times, Magnus wants to try age regression for himself. Taako is more than happy to lend a hand.Set after the Petals to the Metal arc.
Relationships: Magnus Burnsides & Taako
Series: The Regression Zone [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551574
Comments: 65
Kudos: 132





	1. Chapter 1

Taako has long since learned to expect the unexpected, or at the very least, take everything in stride.

And if you were to ask him, he’d say he did an amazing job when Magnus first brought up that he also wanted to regress.

They lay sprawled on their living room floor, the carpet under their backs as they stare up at the ceiling. They’d just finished up with a training session, so upon making it back to their apartment, Taako collapsed on the floor and refused to get up. Magnus joined him seconds later, but not before detaching Steven from his belt and setting him in the space between Magnus and Taako.

Taako’s not used to the apartment being this quiet. Lord knows where Merle has disappeared off to, and he never thought he’d see the day where Magnus was too tired to speak. But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t relish the sense of peace it brought him. On most days, he prefers the chaos, but he doesn’t mind the calm and the quiet every now and then.

He blinks heavily, watching Steven lazily circle his fish bowl. He wouldn’t mind taking a nap, either. The floor isn’t the most comfortable, but it would beat having to get up. Maybe he’ll even regress if the mood suits him. It’d been a few days since he’d last regressed, and even then, he’d been too tired to do anything more than color for a bit. It’s been a while since he’s gotten into some mischief.

“Taako?” Magnus asks suddenly. Taako lifts his head to see Magnus staring intently upwards, fidgeting with his fingers. And here Taako had thought he’d fallen asleep some time ago. “Can I ask some questions?”

Taako rolls onto his stomach, eyeing Magnus with equal parts suspicion and curiosity. “About what, my dude?”

Magnus won’t look at him, keeping his eyes firmly set on the ceiling. A faint pink dusts his cheeks. “Well…it’s just…um…”

Taako reaches over and playfully smacks Magnus’s head with the back of his hand. It’s not a particularly hard hit, just enough to get him a little riled up. “Spit it out, my man.”

Magnus winces and says his words in a rush. “IthinkIwannaregress.” Once the words are out of his mouth, his face turns a brilliant shade of red, which he tries to cover up by using his deeper “hero voice.” He springs into a sitting position, like that will help drain the redness out of his face, and slaps on a cheesy fake smile. “You know, to help understand you better! I want to help in any way I can and I thought I could do that by…well…you know…”

“No need to explain yourself to me, homie.” Taako says. He gently pats Magnus’s knee, since Magnus’s shoulder is currently out of reach. “I get it. It’s fun being the baby.”

Magnus dares a peek at Taako, looking from under his lashes in a way that makes Taako’s heart melt. “You really don’t mind?” From the sound of his voice, he already has half a foot in headspace.

Oh God. Taako pointedly stamps down the urge to scoop Magnus into a hug. Manipulative little shit. There’s no way he can know just how much Taako cares for him already.

“Just name the time and the place, my dude.” Taako pauses and purses his lips in thought. “And also your likes and dislikes, your age range, activities, discipline preferences, hard limits, and communication.”

Magnus’s face falls, his brow twisting with anxiety, so Taako rushes in to say.

“It’s a joke! Remember the saying? You do you and I’ll adapt, mkay?” Just to test a theory, Taako pulls a Fantasy Lifesaver from his pocket and offers it to Magnus. He’s learned for his own sake to have candy on his person whenever possible, because it keeps him from sucking his thumb in public when he regresses. They’re also for Angus—but Taako would rather die than admit that out loud.

Magnus noticeably perks up, grinning as he pops the candy into his mouth. It’s green apple—his favorite flavor. The truth comes out a little easier after that. “I think it’d be really fun to play a bunch of games. Like, hide and seek and tag. But definitely cuddles too. Those are important.”

“It might be hard to play tag indoors.” Taako points out. “You okay being tiny in public?”

Magnus winces. “Maybe not yet.”

“That’s chill. Baby steps, you know?” Taako laughs at his own joke. “Anything else?”

Magnus crosses his legs at the ankle and absently moves one knee. He’s surprisingly honest right now, and he knows more about his preferences than he initially let on. Taako’s already making mental notes that Magnus might need a little prodding into headspace, maybe some sort of distraction to help him regress.

Taako presses a little harder when it becomes clear Magnus can’t think of anything else. He just needs a nudge in the right direction, perhaps. Simple, direct, preferably yes-or-no questions. Easy peasy. “What are your favorite snacks, punkin?” He’s seen how Magnus eats normally, and it doesn’t matter if he stays regressed for an hour or a day, he will need lots of snacks.

Magnus considers this for a second, humming in thought. “Granola—no, wait, fruit snacks. And goldfish crackers. Ooh, and apple juice!” Magnus grins, and it’s like his entire face transforms with childlike glee.

He must need it—must have needed it for quite some time now—if it’s this easy for him to feel small. God, even Taako’s worst, most stressful week without regressing probably couldn’t get him this energetic and cutesy.

Taako grips Magnus’s knee, giving him a light jostle. “Look alive, boo-boo. Taako needs some prep time before he can handle any rugrats.” Maybe, somewhere deep down, Taako just wants Magnus to feel as cared for as Taako feels when he regresses. Because he’s sure if it were anyone else—well, he wouldn’t have even said yes, let alone wanted to prepare for it.

Color floods Magnus’s face, as if he hadn’t even realized how close he’d been teetering on the edge of headspace. Does he even know what his headspace feels like? Or will Taako have to help him with that too? “Oh, sorry…”

Taako waves him off, trying to look as casual as possible. He can already tell Magnus is going to be a sensitive little bean, and that he’ll have to watch how he says things to prevent any hurt feelings. “Coloring books don’t steal themselves, you know.” He’s joking. He has at least four stolen coloring books in his room right now. But those are his, and Magnus doesn’t need to know that.

“Right.” Magnus mops a hand over his face, and, as if it’s a great effort, forces himself to sit up straight.

“Can you make it till Friday?” Taako asks. Weekends are always ideal for full drops, and there’s no doubt in his mind that Magnus is going to drop hard if Taako let him.

“Yeah,” Magnus says, in what is probably the least confident “yeah” Taako has ever heard.

“Yes, you can.” Taako says. “Come on, are you really going to tell me you don’t have a ‘proficiency in staying big for two days’ tucked away somewhere?”

Magnus musters a smile. It’s small, and weak, but it’s a smile nonetheless. He nods, a faint bob of his chin. “Thanks for this, Taako. I…I really appreciate it.”

Taako scoffs. “Don’t act like it’s some big thing, darling. After all, how hard can it be?”


	2. Chapter 2

Taako, admittedly, overprepares.

But does it matter, when he’s got gold to spare? He buys everything he can get his hands on, just to be safe. Sippy cups, coloring books, a Fantasy Crayola 64-pack of crayons, four different board games, and even a soccer ball (enchanted to not break anything, thank God). And that isn’t even covering the snacks. Milk and chocolate syrup (because store-bought chocolate milk isn’t the same), goldfish crackers, granola bars, trail mix, cookies, apple slices, and enough boxes of fruit gummies to make a fort out of.

That was all he bought, though. Anything more personal—pacifiers, stuffed animals, pull-ups—felt far too forward for someone who was just learning about this part of himself. The _sippy cups_ felt too forward. Which was why Taako was simply going to leave them out, in plain sight, and if he caught Magnus looking at them enough times, he’d gently broach the subject. After all, he couldn’t not have them out. Sippy cups are his favorite, so he might as well see if Magnus likes them too.

Magnus comes by around 4, almost a half an hour before their agreed-upon time. “Uh, sorry,” he says as soon as he’s through the door. “I didn’t know if you were ready—or, if, uh…” His eyes stray to the wide array of snacks and games that Taako hadn’t had the time to start sorting yet. “That’s a lot of stuff.”

“No need to sound so stressed, my man. You’re getting babied for a day, not going in for a job interview.”

“Okay, but what if I’m applying for the job of the baby?”

“The position’s already filled. Besides, I’m way cuter.”

Magnus doesn’t laugh much more than a weak chuckle. “Oh, and, uh, before we start… Here.” He slips a folded piece of paper into Taako’s hand.

“Your list of demands?” Taako assumes, chuckling when Magnus’s cheeks turn an adorable shade of red.

The list, scrawled in a childishly sloppy hand, reads:

  1. _Lots of hugs_
  2. _No teasing_
  3. _Be nice to Steven_



Taako scoffs. “Easy street, my man.” He rereads the note, trying not to gush, and waves Magnus off. “Go get comfy. Take off your shoes.”

Magnus shuffles past him, and Taako tries to play it off like he isn’t watching the little guy’s every move. There’s a certain sluggishness in how he’s moving, one that betrays just how exhausted he is. Is he too tired to make a day out of this? That’s Taako’s problem sometimes. He’ll regress out of sheer tiredness, meaning he’s only small for an hour at most before completely passing out.

Could that be Magnus’s problem today? Would he rather just sleep? Taako has to admit, he expected Magnus to be a little more of an open book than this. It better not be because he’s sad. Taako can’t handle any sad rugrats.

Taako approaches Magnus with way more confidence than he actually has. Magnus is sitting on the couch while he unlaces his boots, so he has to look up to make eye contact. “So the plan, as I’m seeing it, right? First things first, we gotta turn this…” He waves a finger in front of Magnus’s face. “…Into this.” He takes the corners of Magnus’s mouth and upturns them in a smile, no thanks to Magnus. Taako smiles, trying not to let his spirits fall. “Now you tell me. What does Taako need to do to get us there, huh?”

Magnus shrugs, opting to stay silent.

Taako nods, taking this all in. “It’s been a long week, huh, lil dude?” He cups Magnus’s face, gently thumbing at his cheekbones. He drops his voice low, trying to emulate the voice Magnus has used on him in his more vulnerable moments. “It’s okay if you’d rather just sleep. Nap parties happen to be the shit.”

“Not tired.” His voice comes out gruff and low, but all Taako can hear is a boy trying his hardest to sound big when he is so clearly not.

Goddammit, what is he supposed to do, then? Magnus sounds tired, but that special brand of fit-throwing tired that Taako specializes in. He can’t very well insist on naptime. He might not even be tired, just sad, which is infinitely _worse_. No, this kiddo needs some kind of distraction, and a good one at that.

Taako things for a second, racking his brains until he’s hit with a stroke of genius. “Here, punkin, give me Steven. I’ve got a sick idea brewing in my dome.”

While Magnus initially looks doubtful, he nonetheless detaches Steven’s bowl from his belt and hands it over.

With a smirk, Taako casts Levitate on Steven’s bowl and gently pushes him back in Magnus’s direction. It gently floats over, half-propelled by the push, half-propelled by Steven himself. He should be able to navigate the room on his own now. Thank God they don’t have any windows.

The change of Magnus’s face is almost instant. His jaw drops into a wide smile. Taako feels the change in his demeanor right away. Magnus has gone full tiny.

“Whoa!” Magnus takes Steven’s bowl then releases it, allowing Steven to swim in whatever direction he wants. “Lookit! He’s flying!” He throws his arms around Taako’s waist and squeezes tight. “Thank you!”

In an attempt to look casual and not at all like his heart is about to burst, Taako pats him on the head. “No problem, lil dude. I’ve got spell slots for days.”

Magnus bounces in his seat. “Can we color now, Taako? I wanna color you a picture!”

God, he’s so cute. He’s so cute and he absolutely knows it. “Sure thing, homie. It’s all up to you.” Taako pulls out two coloring books, one with adventurers and one with puppies, and places them side by side on the floor. “Just stole them this morning.”

With a frown, Magnus lowers himself onto the floor. “But that’s against the rules.”

“Exactly. This is what we call ‘leading by negative example.’ I steal so you don’t have to.” He boops Magnus on the nose, grinning at the way Magnus crinkles his nose and tries to dodge.

Magnus goes straight for the puppy coloring book, selecting a page that depicts Huskies running in the snow.

“Have fun, lil dude. Shout if you need me.” He runs his fingers through Magnus’s hair once before turning back to the task at hand. He takes the rest of the groceries into their tiny shared kitchen, spreading everything out on the table. This way, he can keep a closer eye on what Magnus eats, because the last thing he wants is the little guy on a sugar high.

His work finished, Taako pokes his head out of the kitchen to see Magnus pouting at him. He hasn’t even opened his box of crayons yet.

“What’s wrong, lil man?”

“You color too.” It’s a command, not a request.

Taako grins. “Is that so?” He should’ve known Magnus would be all about bonding activities.

“Well, _yeah!_ ” Magnus says it like it’s obvious. “We can’t swap pictures if you don’t color something!”

“Sorry, boo-boo. Didn’t realize this was a business exchange.”

Magnus nods, his brows drawing low. “It’s serious business, Taako.”

“Noted. Now, what kind of picture would you be interested in?”

Magnus scoffs. “That’s not how it works! You’re supposed to pick something you like. That’s what makes it special!”

“Ohh.” Taako nods in understanding. He flips through the coloring book, eventually settling on a scene of adventurers cooking meat over a fire. There’s cooking, so technically it counts, right?

He lies on his stomach beside Magnus, close enough that their shoulders occasionally brush against each other.

And admittedly, Taako thinks the entire thing is dumb at first. After all, wasn’t it enough that he’d bought/stolen so much stuff? Hadn’t he already proved in spades that he cared for Magnus a lot? But in the end, it came down to what made Magnus happy, and if he wanted to spend a quiet afternoon just coloring, then that was fine by him.

It takes him a while, but he does warm up to it. There’s a reason he likes to color so much when he’s small. And having Magnus’s warmth up next to him is something that never fails to put him at ease. Magnus keeps humming to himself, small snippets of songs that don’t fit together, at random intervals, and yeah, Taako thinks it’s pretty cute. Everyone once in a while, he’ll get distracted watching Steven, who’s taken to circling the ceiling in big, lazy loops. There are worse ways to spend an evening.

A moment too late, the horror washes over him, and Taako realizes why he feels so relaxed.

He’s regressing too.

Shit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 99% tooth-rotting fluff

Okay, this is fine.

No need to panic.

Take a deep breath.

He’s not feeling _that_ young, so it stands to reason that he can still take care of Maggie just fine. After all, Merle is once again nowhere to be found, so that means he’s in charge by default.

“It should be snack time.” Taako decides, for no other reason than he wants sweets. “Let’s have cookies.”

“Are we supposed to have cookies before dinner?” Magnus asks.

Taako tries not to roll his eyes. He thought Magnus would be more agent of chaos and less boy scout while regressed. “I’m in charge, so I say yes.” Taako fetches a container of cookies from the kitchen and plops it down between them.

While Magnus looks skeptical, he takes a cookie too. “What about dinner?” he finally asks, but only after his mouth is half-full of chocolate chip cookies.

“We’ll have some cookies leftover for dinner too.” Taako should’ve bought more sweets when he had the chance. He probably would’ve if he’d known he’d regress too, but he’s always been one to go with the flow. Ergo, more cookies next time, and if he doesn’t regress, he’ll just keep some of them stashed away so Maggie can’t find them.

While Taako offers another cookie, Magnus doesn’t take it. He scrutinizes Taako closely, clearly suspicious. “Taako, are you tiny too?”

Taako puffs up his chest in indignance. “I’m still older than you.”

Apparently Magnus doesn’t need any more reassurance than that. As long as there’s someone bigger than him to be in charge, he’s just fine. “Okay! I still colored this for you!” He tears out the page and practically shoves it into Taako’s open hands.

One of the Huskies has Taako’s hat scribbled on top. Another has Magnus’s leather armor, and a third is carrying a book with the words “X-TREME TEEN” written on the spine.

His eyes roam over the other puppies. One has Angus’s glasses. Another with Pringles’s hairstyle. The last one has the Director’s staff attached to its back.

Magnus is bouncing with excitement. “Do you like it?”

“Uh-huh!” Taako pops to his feet. “I’m gonna put it on the fridge.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s what grown-ups do so you know you did a good job. Duh.”

“I did a good job?” Magnus notably perks up at that, beaming at Taako like he hangs the moon himself.

Taako tries not to visibly preen. “The best—well, maybe not the best, since you haven’t seen mine yet, but close!”

Magnus throws up his arms and cheers.

Taako fishes a magnet from one of the drawers and pins the picture to the fridge. “We’re gonna put it nice and low so Merle can see it too.” He hears Magnus snickering over his shoulder, which only goads him on. “He’ll be really jealous, Maggie. You gotta color him something too so he doesn’t cry.”

“I will! And can I have another cookie?”

Taako grins. Maybe he’ll make a rulebreaker out of Maggie yet. “Lesson number one, my dude, if you hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have known you’d taken one in the first place!”

There’s a silence that follows, accompanied by the distinct sound of a container of cookies being arranged to look as if they hadn’t just been rifled through. Taako rolls his eyes and lingers in front of the fridge, sure to give Maggie ample time to feign his innocence. He doesn’t want to discourage Maggie so early on. If anything, he’s littler, so Taako can blame anything on him when they’re caught and neither of them will get in trouble.

He announces his return loudly. “Gee, I sure hope nobody took extra cookies without asking.”

Maggie giggles, his cheeks full. He doesn’t have the good grace to look guilty, or even to stop chewing when Taako is looking right at him.

“You want some milk? Can you handle a big kid cup?”

“Well, duh!” Magnus speaks through his mouthful of cookies, seemingly uncaring that he’s getting crumbs all down the front of his shirt. “I’m not a baby.”

Taako sighs and produces a handkerchief from his back pocket, which he uses to bat away lingering crumbs and clean the excess of Magnus’s face. “You don’t have to be a baby to use sippies.”

“Is this because of the sippies in your bag?” he asks. More crumbs spill down the front of his shirt, but Taako freezes, too stunned to clean up after him.

Taako feels his face burning. Yeah, he put a couple of sippies out in plain sight, but he hadn’t realized Maggie had noticed he had some of his own. After all, they weren’t in his bag when they’d journeyed after the cursed cup, and he’s fairly sure he hasn’t brought them out since then. Not for any reason, he just hasn’t been feeling that little lately.

If it were any other situation, he wouldn’t have cared, but Maggie looking up to him is something he wants to hold onto. “I’m still older,” he grumbles.

But Maggie just grins, as if that was a definitive truth. “Yup!” He downs the rest of his cookies in one big gulp. “I’m okay. Can I see your picture now? Please? _Pleeease?_ ”

Taako blinks in surprise. That’s it? That’s all it takes for Maggie to change the subject? He glances back at his abandoned coloring page. “It’s not done.”

“It is now, cuz I wanna see it!”

Taako rolls his eyes. “Fine, but I still gotta sign it.”

Magnus’s eyes widen. “I didn’t sign mine!” Crayon in hand, he dashes back into the kitchen.

Taako takes the chance to hastily fill in some blank spaces with splashes of color. It doesn’t look great, but it doesn’t look as incomplete as it did before. He gets about thirty seconds before Magnus comes barreling back in. He does everything so fast, Taako’s tired just watching him.

Magnus plops on the floor beside him, grabby hands in full effect. In a neat, tiny script, Taako writes “To: Magnus, From: Taako” in the bottom corner and hands his picture over, feeling a pang of regret at the last second, a fleeting worry of maybe his work isn’t good enough.

His heart clenches as Magnus looks over it, with worry that all but dissolves when Magnus turns to him and grins widely. “He has my colors!”

Taako peeks over Magnus’s shoulder to see that he’s right. The adventurer on the right, the one with the sword, is colored in shades of red and brown, with auburn hair and lots of freckles. Taako must have done that subconsciously. But Magnus doesn’t have to know that, so he grins and holds his chin high. “I thought you’d like that.”

“Oh, it’s the best!” Magnus snatches him into a hug, cuddling him close.

Taako goes rigid before melting into the touch. The only other person that’s ever hugged him like this is…well, it’s Angus. Like he’s someone worth looking up to. Like he’s actually done a good job.

Steven floats into view beside them, lazily drifting toward the floor. Levitate must be wearing off.

“Hey, little dude.” Taako holds out a palm, catching Steven in one hand.

Steven looks up at him, bubbling happily.

“Journey over, huh?” Taako gently lowers Steven onto the floor, unable to stop himself from yawning widely. “Me too, my man.”

“You tired?” Maggie asks.

“It’s been a long week for me too.”

Maggie nods in understanding, before a grin splits his face. “We should nap together!” he cheers. “Come on, I’ll carry you to bed!”

“No need, my dude. Check this out.” Taako toes a small cube out from under the couch. It was a special at Fantasy Costco that he couldn’t resist. The Pocket Boudoir, which came at a discount if you already had the Pocket Spa. Taako was probably going to install it later, but for now, it’s perfect for a living room sleepover. Although, he had anticipated a tired Maggie he couldn’t hope to get to bed on his own, but still, he’s getting his money’s worth.

He presses the button, and a giant mattress, along with a plush comforter and three huge fluffy pillows pop out (after all, the bedframe is sold separately).

“Wow, Taako, you think of everything!”

“’Course I did.” Taako says. He finds it impossible to not be pleased with himself when Maggie is building him up to be the best person ever. “I’m the oldest.”

Magnus dives onto the mattress with an unnecessary amount of force, causing the pillows to go flying in the process. “It’s so soft!”

“It better be, for what I paid.” Taako replaces the pillows, tossing one at Maggie’s face for good measure.

Maggie only laughs. Then he asks the toughest question Taako can imagine. “Can I borrow Chester for naptime?”

Taako grimaces. He’s the oldest. And the coolest. And that means he has a reputation to uphold. So as much as he wants to tell Maggie to get his own stuffie, he forces a smile. “Chester can nap between us, okay? That way he isn’t sad about making anyone jealous.”

Magnus gives him that look, the one that says he can see right through Taako’s fibs, but he just grins. “That’s a good idea!”

Taako crawls into bed beside him, throwing the comforter over both of them. He makes sure his own side is tucked halfway underneath him. He’s not sure why, but he can just sense that Maggie is the worst kind of blanket hog.

Taako uses Mage Hand to grab Chester and flick off the lights. The only light in the room pokes from under the throw rug, indicative of the world below.

Once Magnus is settled, which takes a great deal of squirming, shuffling, and turning over, he gets comfy with his head tucked under Taako’s chin, their hands overlapped on Chester’s tummy.

The silence only lasts a few moments before Maggie feels the need to speak. “Psst, Taako.”

Taako doesn’t even bother opening his eyes. “Maggie, it’s naptime.”

“I know, but…I just wanna say you’re doing a good job.” Magnus’s hand tightens around his. “I’m having fun,” he whispers.

“Good.” Now that his eyes are closed, sleep is pulling him under with force. “Good…” And just like that, he’s down for the count.

~

It’s probably the best sleep Taako’s had in weeks.

Maggie is the perfect cuddle buddy, once he’s asleep. He doesn’t squirm or fuss. He’s essentially just a really cuddly rock. A Chester that can hug back.

Taako drifts between sleep and wake, coming up just long enough for the sound of Maggie’s deep breathing to pull him back under. The bed is warmer than he thought it’d be, retaining the perfect amount of warmth to keep him nice and sleepy. He really only starts to wake up when he comes to with the blankets half-off of him.

Taako whines and gropes blindly for the rest of the covers. Maggie must have turned over in his sleep and gotten everything all messed up. Taako scoots closer to the center of the mattress, but still no Maggie.

He wakes up a little more after that, getting the definite feeling that something is wrong. Blindly, he kicks out, but his foot doesn’t hit anything. A bundle of blankets, yes, but no Maggie underneath them.

Taako jolts upright, only to find himself staring down an empty mattress, an empty living room.

Magnus is nowhere to be found.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People were more upset about Magnus wandering off in a (generally) safe environment than that time he got actually stabbed so I got this chapter out super quick! Really happy with this chapter!

“Maggie, when I find you I’m gonna kill you.” Taako mutters. He repeats it to himself like a mantra, because it’s literally the only thing keeping him from freaking out.

Because if he focuses on being mad at Maggie, he won’t focus on how it took him a little less than an hour to _lose the person he was supposed to be watching._ If he focuses on being mad, he doesn’t have to think about how he isn’t very good at this at all, or how he can’t do the one thing for Maggie that Maggie consistently does for him.

He tries to cover as much space as possible at first. He races through the quad, checking Maggie’s normal hangouts. While he sees Avi, Maggie isn’t with him.

When he pokes his head into the Fantasy Costco, while Garfield tries to offer him a deal on locator charms, Maggie isn’t there. You’d think he’d go straight for the stuffed animals, but that’s also contingent on him having money.

The mess hall turns up similar results, and by this point, he’s so worked up that he ends up plowing right into Carey and Killian when turning a corner. He mumbles out an apology before finding a place to hide and catch his breath. His heart is pounding out of his chest and he doesn’t like all the people looking at him. It makes him feel like he’s about to get caught any moment, tugged by the arm out of the situation and reprimanded thoroughly for trying to damage his brand by acting like this.

Taako ducks behind a building and blinks the tears from his eyes. He has to get a hold of himself. His legs are trembling from how much running he’s been doing, and logically, he knows he hasn’t been going about this the best way. Rushing around with no direction is only going to make things worse for all of them. It won’t do Maggie any good to break down crying and wait for a grown-up to fix things.

He detaches Steven from his belt, looking hard at the fish as he launches into a pep talk for himself.

“I’m the oldest,” he says to Steven, who bubbles happily at being addressed. “I’m the oldest and the coolest and I’m not gonna cry. We’re gonna find him, okay? We’re gonna ask Avi because he’s good at keeping his eye on people. If anyone’s seen Magnus, it’s him. Got it?”

Steven bubbles in agreement.

“Exactly!”

Taako clears his throat, an action which helps him jump into his big kid headspace, and approaches Avi, who’s still in the same place he was when Taako passed by earlier. He has a book in one hand and a flask of brandy in the other.

Avi grins as he walks over. “Hey, man, good to see you! I would’ve said hi earlier, but it looks like you were in an awful hurry.”

“That’s actually what I came to talk to you about. Avi, my dude, you haven’t happened to see Magnus in the past hour, have you?”

“No, can’t say that I have.” Concern flashes over his face. “Is something wrong?”

Taako waves him off. “No, no, nothing like that. We were just supposed to meet up and go to the mess hall together, but he seems to have wandered off. You know how Magnus is.”

Avi chuckles. “That I do. But, hey, if I see him, I’ll be sure to send him your way, alright?”

“Thank you much, my dude.”

“No problem. See you later, Taako. Bye, Steven!”

Steven bubbles his goodbyes.

Taako sighs. He makes sure to walk a good distance before resuming his conversation with the fish. It’s just not a good look for him. “Do you have any ideas, Steven?” He holds Steven up to eye level and peers at the goldfish. “You don’t happen to be half-fish and half-bloodhound, do you?”

Steven bubbles.

“I didn’t think so.” Taako puts a finger to his lips, humming in thought. Maybe if he can get into Maggie’s head, he’ll have a better idea of where he went. “But where would Maggie go?” Taako asks. After a moment of thought, he’s able to answer that himself. “Wherever he’d get in the most trouble for being. Good thing the top three locations are all in the same place.”

He tries not to look suspicious as he heads for the elevator and selects the floor with the Director’s office and the Voidfish. He has to have some level of clout for helping bank three Grand Relics, right?

Thankfully, no one stops him, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to take any more chances. While it may make him look more suspicious, he thinks going to the Voidfish’s chambers is inherently suspicious anyway, so he might as well take some extra steps to make sure he doesn’t get caught.

There’s a guard standing outside doors, and it’s doubtful he’ll let Taako in, so Taako casts Blink and makes his way inside.

Sure enough, Magnus is sitting right in front of the Voidfish’s tank, watching it move with a mesmerized expression. He doesn’t even look guilty about scaring the shit out of Taako!

Which is why Taako has no reservations about scaring the shit out of him.

“Maggie!” he cries as he snaps out of the ethereal plane right by Magnus’s ear. Magnus doesn’t even blink. “I’m gonna kick your ass!”

Magnus tears his eyes away from the Voidfish in shock. “You said a swear.”

“I’ll say a lot more if you don’t do what I say! This is a _restricted area_ , Maggie!” Taako knows it’s rich for _him_ , of all people, to be uptight about the rules, but Magnus needs to realize that a) Taako is in charge and b) Taako may also be a little scared of the Director when he’s regressed.

“But the fish is pretty!” Magnus says, like that explains everything.

“And?”

“I want to be here?”

Taako rolls his eyes. “How did you even get in here?”

“The door?”

Taako narrows his eyes. “I’m gonna kick your ass twice.”

“You were napping!” Magnus protests, his voice getting higher the more indignant he gets. “And it was so boring!”

“I was asleep for twenty minutes! You didn’t think to turn on the TV or read a book?” Taako is well-aware he’s raising his voice to match Maggie’s, even more so that they’re bound to be caught any second now, but he can’t bring himself to care. If someone finds them, they’ll only help confirm that Maggie’s being silly. “You thought the best course of action would be to wander off unsupervised to the most heavily guarded room here?”

“Well, yeah, the mess hall doesn’t have a Voidfish!”

Taako rolls his eyes. “Ugh, you’re such a baby!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“Are _too!_ ”

Magnus opens his mouth, presumably to make another remarkably witty combat, but all words die when the door opens and the Director steps in.

She blinks in surprise, like she hadn’t heard the ruckus they were making beforehand. “Magnus? Taako? What _are_ you two doing here?”

“Uh, hi, M-Mrs. Director Lady.” Taako doesn’t straighten his back, keeping his low vantage point to better justify staring at his shoes. He keeps his hands on Maggie’s shoulders, because if anything, he should be the one taking the fall for this, as much as he doesn’t want to admit it.

Magnus grins, waving like they’re best of friends. “Hi, Lulu!”

“Shh!”

The Director nods once, twice, comprehension slowly dawning on her face. “I see.” Her steps are slow, deliberate. She practically glides across the linoleum floor, only coming to a stop right in front of them. Specifically, right in front of Taako. Maggie is back to watching the Voidfish, as if there’s nothing dangerous about this situation in the slightest.

Taako cringes as she scans his face, studying him like he’s another piece of her paperwork.

“Who is supposed to be watching him?” The Director asks.

The question is so unexpected that Taako isn’t sure he’s heard right. Then again, he’s mostly expecting to be scolded, dragged by the arm, and sent to bed without supper. “Huh?”

“Who’s watching him? I can’t imagine he’s allowed to come and go as he pleases when he’s regressed.”

“I’m…watching him…ma’am.” Taako remembers his manners at the last second, hastily throwing on “ma’am.”

The Director offers a slight smile at that. “And who is watching you?”

“Me?”

While her smile grows, there’s a tinge of sadness to it. “How old are you right now?”

“Seventy-four?” He doesn’t like measuring his age in human years, so most times when Merle or Magnus asks, he just throws out a random number under sixteen. But there’s a look in her eye that says the Director needs an exact answer.

“I see.” She nods in understanding. She can do math way better than Maggie can. “And him?”

“’m six!” Magnus pipes up.

“He’s six…” Taako echoes sheepishly. “He wanted to see the Voidfish, but now he’s seen it, so we’ll just get going, Mrs. Director Lady.” He gives a none-too-gentle tug on Magnus’s sleeve. “Maggie, let’s go!”

“There’s no harm in the two of you staying here.” The Director says kindly. With a wry smile, she adds, “So long as you are _supervised_.”

Taako feels his ears burning.

“Would you like some candy? I believe I have some Turkish Delight in my office just begging to be eaten.”

“No thanks.” Magnus says distantly. He’s back to watching the Voidfish. “Gotta keep Voidfish company.”

That’s enough to get a laugh out of her. It’s a weak chuckle, but that’s more than Taako has ever heard her laugh since they got here. “But of course. I’ll be right back.” Her gaze is slightly teasing as she looks to Taako. “I trust now that he’s occupied with something, you can keep track of him?”

It would’ve been less embarrassing if she’d just called him an idiot outright. Taako nods, watching her sweep out of the room with purpose.

Magnus breaks the silence first. “Taako, I want a hug.”

Taako folds his arms and scowls. “No. I’m mad at you.”

“Huh?” Magnus glances up, looking genuinely shocked by this development. “Why?”

“Maggie, we almost got in so much trouble because of you!”

“Nuh-uh! Lulu’s a friend!”

“She’s our _boss_! And I’m pretty sure she hates us.”

“She likes you, Taako. And I bet she gives really good hugs.”

Taako huffs. “Then ask her for a hug.”

The Director returns moments later with a Tupperware container of Turkish Delight in one hand, and a manilla folder of paperwork in the other. A quilt is draped over one arm, slightly obscuring her bracer.

She spreads out the quilt beside Magnus, leaving enough space that two people could comfortably sit together on it. She sits beside Magnus and pats the empty spot to her left.

“There’s no need for the formalities, Taako.” The Director chides. “Do you honestly find me that intimidating?”

“Yes.” There’s no point in lying, but there’s also no point in standing when he could be sitting. He takes the spot next to her and takes a piece of Turkish Delight when it’s offered to him.

“I had my suspicions about you,” the Director admits. “For both of you, actually. How long has this been going on?”

Taako doesn’t answer for a long time. It feels weird to air out his business with his boss like this. “It’s his first time being small.”

She nods. “I see. And yourself?”

Taako shifts uncomfortably, turning his eyes toward the Voidfish. It’s making quiet tones that Magnus is humming back. He sways in tandem with its movements.

“A long time.”

“Since adolescence?” she prods.

He shrugs. “Why do you care?” He dares a glance at her to see she has the good grace to look sheepish. “Do you now an age regressor?”

“I’ve…known someone, yes.” The Director speaks in halting, stilted words, as if she’s dancing around the actual answer. “But that was a long time ago.”

Taako doesn’t bother to question her.

“I guess that I’d like to understand better.” Lucretia admits, but instead of looking to him, she looks to Magnus. “You say he wandered in here by himself?”

Taako hums in affirmation. “During naptime.”

“You do look rather tired.”

“That’s because I was running all across campus to try and find him.” Taako grumbles.

Again, Lucretia laughs. “And Merle. Merle knows, correct?”

“Merle knows about _me_.” Taako says. “He said he couldn’t handle both of us at once, but that was before Maggie knew he got small too.” He yawns widely as the last of his adrenaline drowns out of his system. “I don’t know how we’re gonna break it to him.”

“Here. Rest.” Almost on instinct, she reaches out, cupping his shoulder just right so he can drape himself comfortably over her lap, but freezes halfway through. She pulls away, and if it weren’t for Magnus on her other side, probably would’ve vacated the blanket as well. “I apologize. That wasn’t very professional of me.”

Maybe she doesn’t hate him like he thought she did. And it would be a way to get his cuddles and still get back at Maggie for disappearing on him.

Sure, she’s terrifying, but she’s terrifying and very huggable.

“I mean, if you’re offering…” He curls up on his side, his head pillowed on her lap. She adjusts her paperwork obligingly, draping her free arm over his shoulders. Taako can’t help but notice that was the hand she was writing with not a moment ago.

He’s not sure if it’s a testament to how much running he did or how tired he already was that he falls asleep almost instantly.

He has no idea how long he dozes, but it’s Magnus’s voice that startles him awake.

“Lulu, I’m hungry,” he whines.

“Maggie, we have dinner in our dorm.” Taako shifts, trying to snuggle deeper into the warmth of Lulu’s embrace, but it’s too late. He’s too awake for it to do any good.

“I think the mess hall might be a little too noisy for Taako right now.” Lulu says softly. Her hand pushes his bangs from his face, and Taako melts back into the touch.

There’s a pause, and Taako knows Maggie is looking him up and down, assessing how tired he has to be. “I can carry him. Taako, do you wanna be carried to bed?”

Taako whines and rubs his eyes. Yes, that sounds amazing, but he’s the oldest and he has a reputation to uphold. He shuffles to his feet and scrubs his face, like he can smush the tired out if he tries hard enough. “I can walk.”

Lucretia waits until they’re both up to start packing up her things. “I hope this marks the end of your adventures for the night, yes?”

Magnus gives an emphatic nod. “Bye, Lulu!”

Lucretia smiles, an actual smile this time, with teeth and everything. She even goes so far to reach out and pat his cheek. “Goodbye, Magnus.”

Taako rubs his eyes and yawns, making sure he looks extra cute when he says, “Bye-bye, Lulu.”

The Director stops. If Taako didn’t know any better, he’d say she looked almost heartbroken.

Taako shrinks back, using Maggie almost as a shield. “I mean, goodbye, Mrs. Director Lady.” Is it because he’s not as little as Maggie? Or can she just tell by looking at him that he’s a bad kid?

The Director blinks. “No, no, it’s fine. You may call me Lulu if you want to, dear.” She tries a smile, but she can’t hide how sad she looks. “I really must go now. Thank you for such a lovely hour.”

She leaves, running more than walking, but Taako could still swear he hears something almost like a sob as she goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's technically anachronistic for them to know Lucretia's name, but I don't give a heck about the rules


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the evening passes without a hitch.

Taako is able to stay awake for dinner, but not much else. And as much as it pains him to do so, they each have a microwave dinner. It’s easier than going to the mess hall, and God knows Taako isn’t capable of cooking anything for the two of them right now, so it’s the best option they’ve got.

After dinner, he’s barely able to make it to the Pocket Budoir before he hits the flops over, at the point where he doesn’t even care what he’s falling on so long as he doesn’t have to stand anymore. He shoots Magnus a grateful smile when he comes rushing over, arms full with extra blankets and Chester.

Taako decides Magnus isn’t allowed to leave under any circumstances, so he turns on the TV, takes Maggie’s hand in his own, and promptly falls asleep.

He sleeps like a rock—or at the very least, he tries to. He can’t help jolting awake every time Maggie moves, and when Maggie gets up to pee in the middle of the night, Taako can’t fall back asleep until he comes back. Maggie mumbles a “sorry, Taako,” each time, but it never makes him any less pouty.

But thankfully, somewhere in the middle of the night, he surfaces from headspace. It was a hazy, half-awake moment, so all he really remembers is letting go of Maggie’s hand to snuggle Chester and turning onto his other side. But he does sleep quite a bit easier after that. He doesn’t even move until morning.

He wakes to the sounds of Magnus moving around in the kitchen, the thought of which almost immediately lowers him back into headspace.

Taako snaps upright as soon as he realizes. Oh God, this is dangerous. He combs his fingers through his hair, trying to get a grip. He used to have such an amazing control of his headspace. If he said he was going to regress for twenty minutes, then there was no doubt that in twenty-one minutes he’d be a fully capable adult again. But now? There’s something about Magnus regressing that makes him drop too, and he can’t fight it for the life of him.

Magnus pokes his head out of the kitchen and grins. He must have had an ear out for signs of Taako stirring. “Good morning!”

He’s big this morning. Taako can tell just from the way he’s holding himself, like a massive weight just got lifted off his shoulders. How long had he gone needing a day like yesterday?

“Morning, my man.” That sounded at least somewhat adult. He hopes. “Do I smell bacon?”

Magnus grins. “Sure do! I’ll get you a plate.”

Taako follows him into the kitchen, unable to feel anything but ashamed. It’s gotta be real relaxing to have to cook for yourself and your caregiver. Real good way to fall back into headspace after a fitful night’s sleep. Great job, Taako.

When Magnus pushes the plate into his hands, he feels infinitely less hungry. “Listen, Maggie, I’m sorry about that.”

Magnus furrows his brow, as if he couldn’t possibly figure out why. Like he thought Taako had done everything just right. “Why? I had fun!”

Taako perks up at the sound of that. “You did?”

Magnus nods. Taako can see in his smile that he really means it, which is more reassuring that words can ever be. “It was actually really great, and it helped a lot. So…thank you. There’s no need to apologize.”

Taako steels his shoulders, trying not to let Magnus’s kind words get to him. His inner critic is a lot louder anyway. “Well, it was supposed to be your day. I said I was gonna take care of you and then I up and regressed too.”

Magnus shrugs, like it’s no big deal, like he doesn’t even care that Taako swooped in and took his special day right out from under him. “It happens. Plus, it sounded like you really needed it too.”

It would’ve been so much easier if Magnus had just snapped at him. Why did he always have to be so understanding? “You wouldn’t have been able to wander off if I’d been big.”

“So?” How is Magnus able to speak with such conviction that Taako almost believes him? “It was nice to have someone on my level. It made me feel like I wasn’t so alone. Plus, you made a _great_ babysitter.”

Taako straightens up, the tips of his ears pink. He can feel himself slipping already. “Stop that. Stop that right now.”

Magnus blinks at him. “Stop what?”

“Stop—talking about me like I’m the coolest thing ever!” He puts his plate on the counter beside him and pushes it away the second the urge to throw his food bubbles up. “You’re right but it’s making me feel small.”

Magnus cracks a smile. “Wait…Is that what happened?”

Taako glares, putting all his big boy energy into making sure he’s not pouting by accident. “Not another word, my dude. Not another fucking word.”

Magnus bites his lip, making a clear effort not to laugh. “Sorry. I’ll try not to look up to you as much.”

“See that you do. I know it’s hard, especially with someone as awesome as me, so you have my word that I won’t regress next time.” To top off his sentence, Taako takes a strip of bacon and begins nibbling on it.

Magnus lets the subject drop for a few minutes as he puts the rest of the bacon out. For every strip he lays out, he eats two, so Taako resigns himself to not going back for seconds.

“Okay, so let me get this straight.” Magnus says. He’s only been quiet for about thirty seconds. “When I look up to you, it makes you feel smaller, yeah?”

Taako eyes him warily. “Yes?”

Magnus nods. He’s put all the dishes in the sink, and he’s watching Taako rather closely. He pauses in front of the fridge, the jug of milk in one hand. “So if I were to give you a hard time, you probably wouldn’t regress?”

Taako quirks a brow. “Already bored with the boy scout shtick?”

“Hey, I’m trying to do a favor for _you_.”

“Do whatever you want, homie. I can’t control you.” Oh, he really doesn’t like that gleam in Magnus’s eye right now.

“Glad we can both agree!” Magnus tosses him the jug of milk, which Taako barely manages to grab before it hits his foot. “Catch me if you can, Taako!”

“Magnus, I swear to Fantasy God!” Taako drops the jug and tears after him, but the little shit is already out the door.

Taako flies out their front door. Thankfully no one else comes down here, except for their wicked house parties, so he doesn’t have to watch for anyone he might have run over.

Magnus is already at the elevator. He frantically hits the elevator button, holding onto the hope that he can slip out and away before Taako catches up, but Taako isn’t going to take that chance.

“Levitate!”

Magnus immediately pops into the air, and despite his attempts to push off the walls into the elevator, it takes just long enough for Taako to catch up.

“Gotcha!” He slides to a stop and grabs Magnus by the ankle before his noggin can bump the ceiling. The little rugrat is laughing himself silly.

Taako can’t help smiling along with him. “Oh, you think that’s funny? You think I like chasing down renegade rugrats?” With his free hand, he tickles Magnus’s side, and Magnus shrieks with laughter. The elevator doors slide shut behind them.

“How long do I gotta float?”

“It lasts twenty minutes, punkin. So let Taako finish his breakfast and then he’ll chase you all over this god-forsaken moon base.” Taako hooks his finger in Magnus’s belt loop and tugs him along.

Magnus hasn’t stopped giggling since he was caught. “I’m gonna put stuff on the high shelves so Merle can’t reach.”

“You can do that already.”

This gives Magnus pause, but only for a second. Then his smile turns downright devious. “I’m gonna put stuff on the high shelves so _you_ can’t reach!”

Taako snickers. “Fair enough, lil dude.”

He pulls Magnus through the doorway, mindful of his head, feeling surprisingly calm.

He can do this.

He can _actually_ do this!

~

Merle returns to the moon base a little after sunset.

His feet ache from all the walking he’s been doing, and right now he wants nothing more than to kick back and take the longest nap he can manage.

More importantly, though, he doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Since arriving on the moon base, he’s already run into Angus, which has done nothing to improve his soured mood, and his way through Neverwinter resulted in more than one less-than-pleasant conversation with a caravan of his cousins.

Which is why he supposes it’s just his luck that when the elevator doors open, it’s Taako standing there.

Taako looks like a wreck. Frizzy hair, bags under the eyes. Merle can’t remember seeing the kid look so…un-put together. Ever during the entire debacle with the cursed cup, he never once looked this bad.

Taako doesn’t greet him. He barely even blinks, and not once does he take his eyes off the button panel. It’s like he’s barely registering the world around him.

Merle takes the courtesy of breaking the silence. “You look like hell.”

Taako glares, making harsh, unwavering eye contact as he jams his thumb into the close door button.

“Easy now. I’m only kidding.” Poor thing looks so tired. What in the world could wear him out like this?

It’s not until Merle steps in the elevator that he realizes there’s a giant fucking horse in there too.

“Hey there, little man.” Garyl says.

Merle smiles, trying to look casual in a situation so ridiculous that no person is able to be casual for it. “Oh. Hey, Garyl. What’s going on?”

“Not much, just making sure my little homie stays out of trouble.”

Now that’s odd. Merle has never seen Taako summon Garyl while regressed before, not when there are other people around who won’t disappear after an hour. He turns back to Taako. “Where’s Magnus, hon?”

“I’m not little, fucknuts.” But from the bags under his eyes, he really wishes he were.

“Then…” Merle trails off.

Magnus leans off of Garyl’s back to wave. “Hi, Merle!”

Oh. It’s _both_ of them. Well, that’s new to him, but he can’t say he didn’t expect it. Maybe that’s because he’s always braced for the worst.

Merle awkwardly fits himself between Taako and Garyl, already regretting not letting Taako close the elevator door in his face. Well, since Taako is in no mood to chat… “How was your day, kiddo?”

“Real good! Taako made me float!”

“He made you float?” Merle asks, a grin splitting his face. It’s easy for him to fall into autopilot for this conversation. Magnus is just like any other excitable kid, after all.

“He made a break for it and I had to cast Levitate on him.” Taako explains. He’s making a face, like just recounting the event is taking ten years off his life.

“Mhm!” Magnus doesn’t even seem bothered about the half-hearted glare Taako tossed in his direction. “And then he took me to the library and we picked out a bunch of books together!”

“Kid’s never even read Fantasy Babysitter’s Club.” Taako mutters. He adjusts his shoulder bag, revealing that it’s filled near to bursting with kid’s books.

“Then we ran into Carey and Killian and Avi and they were playing Frisbee! And I asked Taako if we could join and he said yes!”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Taako’s real good at throwing!”

Merle can’t help snickering. “ _You_ joined in?”

Taako rolls his eyes. “The kid asked me to. Besides, sometimes I just gotta show these chumps how it’s done.”

When Merle raises an eyebrow, Magnus pipes up. “He did a backflip! And then he caught the Frisbee and then he _threw_ it all in the middle of the flip and it got stuck on top of one of the domes but it was so cool!” He bounces as he talks, and Merle can’t help but notice how Taako seems to puff up with pride about being the reason for his excitement.

“Calm down, lil man.” Garyl croons. “It’s chill hours.”

Magnus immediately stops. Merle hopes that means he listens a little better than Taako when he’s little. “Sorry, Garyl.”

“No worries, lil dude. All chill means no grudges.” Garyl says, which is able to wipe the guilt off of Magnus’s face before it really has time to blossom.

Magnus continues on undeterred. “But I was really good at pretending to be big while we were out! I didn’t even wander off this time!”

Merle shoots him a look. “You wandered off last time?”

Magnus blanches, the guilty look coming back full force. “Um…”

Something paps the top of his head, and he turns to see Taako glaring at him. “Back off, Merle. He’s already gotten in trouble for that.”

Somehow Merle severely doubts that. He can tell just by looking at Taako that when it comes down to it, he’s the same type of caregiver as Magnus—lenient as all hell.

Magnus has visibly deflated, so Taako prods his shoulder. “Tell him about the Voidfish, punkin.”

And just like that, he’s back with his energy. It’s enough to give Merle whiplash. “Lulu invited us to see the Voidfish again, and we got to have lunch with her! And Davenport made cucumber sandwiches! She felt bad because things were weird yesterday and she wanted to make things up to us.”

“Things were weird?”

Magnus nods. “She was really sad even though she was trying not to show it. But I colored her a picture and that made things better. She even brought cards so we could play Rummy!”

The elevator dings, and the doors open.

Garyl throws his head in Magnus’s direction. “Climb on off, dog. I’m just gonna kick back in here.”

“You’re not coming with?” Magnus asks. Even though he clearly doesn’t need any help, he takes Taako’s hand as he climbs down.

“I’ve only got thirty seconds to live, my man.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s chill. Life is fragile and fleeting and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you get to be a cool dude like me.”

Magnus throws his arms around Garyl’s neck. “I love you, Garyl!”

“Right on, lil man. There needs to be more love in the world and here you are tossing it out like it’s nobody’s business. I’d say it back, but I’m only fifty-nine minutes old. There’s no way for me to truly understand love.” His form begins to shimmer and fade. “Stay chill, homies.” He says, before vanishing completely.

Taako’s already out the door. “Come along, gents. It’s naptime.”

“But I’m not tired!” Magnus whines. Nonetheless, he scurries behind without Taako having to call him.

“Yeah, it’s naptime for me, little man. I don’t have a single spell slot left to my name and I’ve been chasing you around since 11 a.m.”

Merle waddles alongside them, trying to keep pace. “Jeez, that long, huh?”

“Oh, it’s been a whole _weekend_ of rugrat wrangling.” Taako says. He opens their front door and makes a beeline for the couch.

The comment flies over Magnus’s head. “If you rest, then you can summon Garyl again!”

“We’ll see.”

Magnus’s face twists into a pout, one that Merle can just see him getting his way with a thousand times over. “That just means ‘no’!”

Taako shrugs. “We’ll see.” He flops unceremoniously onto the couch, his head draped over the back of it in what has to be one of the most uncomfortable angles Merle has ever seen.

It isn’t long before Magnus crawls onto the couch, a stuffed rabbit Merle has never seen before in the crook of one arm. Taako cracks one eye open to look at him but doesn’t say anything. Not yet.

“That’s new.” Merle comments.

“Her name is Jay!” Magnus says, but that’s the only explanation he offers. His volume is just loud enough that Taako has to speak up.

He sits up, which requires some effort on his part due to how much he’s slouched in the past minute. “Now, Maggie, honey, look at me. Look at Taako.” He waits until he has Magnus’s full attention before continuing. “Taako is very tired, so he’s going to rest, but what’s the rule if you need something?”

“Go bug Merle.”

“There’s a smart cookie.” Quick as a flash, he pecks Magnus on the forehead and pats his cheek. He’s asleep before his head hits the back of the couch.

There’s a horrible moment of silence where Magnus’s head turns to Merle. He doesn’t say anything. Just stares, his face half-obscured by his rabbit. Like he’s waiting for Merle to react first.

“So you too, huh?” Merle says. He’s sure to keep his voice low, even though he’s pretty sure an explosion going off wouldn’t wake Taako right now.

Magnus nods. “That’s okay?”

An idea strikes him, and with a grin, Merle asks, “How many sweets have you had today?”

Magnus makes a face. “None. Taako said I couldn’t have any since we ate so much yesterday.”

“I’ll make you a deal. You get the ice cream that’s in the freezer and I’ll split some with you.”

“Really?”

Merle winks. “It can be our secret.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, we're at the end of another fic! I didn't really have a plan for this one, not like I had for Proficiency in Babysitting, which is why it's a little shorter. I definitely want to do another adventure story, though! And I want to stick to this era until my friend catches up on the podcast LOL

**Author's Note:**

> mcschnuggles.tumblr.com


End file.
